As we studied European colonization of the New World the past two weeks, we focused mainly on South America, as the entire next year will be spent on North America. For their project for this chapter, I asked them to make a map of South America, and told them that it needed to include all the countries (labeled, of course). I gave them several ideas, found a huge printable maps here, printed out whatever sizes they wanted, and gave them some time to work on them in class. Then I waited to see what would arrive in my classroom on Friday.
(I NEVER have an assignment due on Monday. It ruins family time over the weekend. I am a mom, too. :-)
These are puzzles.
We remembered the Treaty of Tordesillas by calling it the "Treaty of Tortilla". No one missed that on the test, even though I spelled it correctly :-). And, the Spanish pope did draw the original Line of Demarcation there, giving Portugal a tiny portion, and the rest of South America to the Spanish. 
